Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sample image data generating apparatus and a sample image data generating method, and particularly relates to a sample image data generating apparatus and sample image data generating method based on structured illumination microscopy.
Description of the Related Art
Structured Illumination Microscopy (hereinafter referred to as SIM) is a known super-resolution technique for obtaining images of a sample (hereinafter referred to as sample images) with a resolution exceeding the resolution limit of an imaging optical system (hereinafter referred to as a super resolution).
In a typical wide-field observation, a sample is irradiated with illumination light that is as uniform as possible. In SIM, by contrast, an illumination pattern, which is mainly a stripe pattern, is formed on a sample so as to generate sample image data having a super resolution exceeding the resolution limit of an imaging optical system.
In recent years, an SIM has been proposed that forms a three-dimensional-structure illumination pattern that includes a stripe pattern not only in an X direction orthogonal to an optical axis but also in a Z direction parallel to the optical axis (hereinafter referred to as 3D-SIM). Such a technology is disclosed by, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0194175.